A CAMPUS ON THE RISE

Old spaces received snazzy updates and new buildings opened their doors, thanks to gifts from the Bronco community. A billion gifts, to be exact.

The final new building to open its doors, the John A. and Susan Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation, includes lab spaces and room for interdisciplinary work. Get a feel for it (pictured left).

Other buildings that have opened to students since 2015 are the Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building, Howard S. and Alida S. Charney Hall of Law, Stephen A. Finn Residence Hall, Stephen C. and Patricia A. Schott Athletic Excellence Center, and the Stevens Soccer Training Center.

And that list doesn’t even include updated spaces in the Benson Memorial Center and Stevens Stadium – Buck Shaw Field.

Whew. That’s a lot of space for students to experiment and experience life.

It is a campus on the rise.

When Stephen Finn MBA ’76 learned that Santa Clara University could not grow its undergraduate population without more available dorm space, the Silicon Valley visionary knew the University needed to scale.

His foundational gift to create the Stephen A. Finn Residence Hall (right) made it so the University could welcome more first- and second-year students—who are required to live on campus—without spiking tuition costs.

As of 2019, Finn Hall houses around 370 students in suite-style rooms. Each of the four floors houses a kitchen and communal living areas, study spaces, and laundry facilities. Its Residential Learning Community (all SCU residence halls have unique themes) is Cura. As in cura personalis, or the Jesuit value of care for the whole person.

Students who live here immerse themselves in a community that promotes well-being through eight dimensions: social, environmental, occupational, spiritual, financial, emotional, intellectual, and physical.

With the Stephen C. and Patricia A. Schott Athletic Excellence Center (left), Santa Clara student-athletes have dedicated space to work out, train, practice, eat, and study.

The $37 million, 50,000-square-foot building features two practice gyms, sports medicine center, nutrition center, a sprawling weight room known as the Bronco Bench Foundation Sports Performance Center, and the Stevens Academic Center with study rooms and computer space.

Made possible by lead funding from Stephen Schott ’60 and Patricia Schott, and Mary Stevens ’84 and Mark Stevens, the building is just the latest step in building a more nationally prominent athletics program at Santa Clara. And it’s all part of the larger Stevens Athletics Complex.

Things appear to be working. Quickly. Since opening in 2020, there have been two Broncos drafted by the NBA and a third to the MLB. Not to mention our 2021 NCAA women’s soccer national championship win.

It can be a tough go for a small, liberal arts college smack in the middle of the tech capital of the world. But Santa Clara University brings something unique to the Silicon Valley table. Not by ignoring the arts, but by embracing them.

Built in 2016, the Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building (right) serves as the cornerstone of an arts-focused wing sweeping out from the far northside of campus.

The imposing structure is enlivened by a glass installation by famed artist Dale Chihuly that hangs above the lobby, and features classrooms, studio space for ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and painting, as well as a dark room and sculpture garden.

It was made possible by the lead donation from the late Edward Dowd ’72, a real estate investor, CEO, and longtime funder of the arts.

“Art transcends all time and seems like a great cause to me,” said Dowd, who wanted his legacy to extend beyond business causes. “I have a desire to use my resources to create a better world, and I feel a world filled with art is a far more enjoyable place.”